How to Make Safer Football Helmets

Today's football helmets are designed with safety in mind. Because concussions are a serious problem plaguing football at many levels, football helmets are made of a durable, plastic shell with foam padding inside. They feature a steel face mask to protect the player's face and a chinstrap to ensure the helmet stays in place during a tackle. Once you buy a football helmet, there are several upgrades you can make to ensure it is even safer.

Instructions

    • 1

      Install extra foam padding to the inner liner of the helmet. While any new football helmet already has a foam-padding liner built in, this padding can be removed off its Velcro mounting in favor of thicker padding. Thick-style padding is sold at sporting goods stores and is commonly used by players who have had concussion problems. If you change your foam padding, you'll have an immediate safety upgrade.

    • 2

      Install a four-point chinstrap on the helmet. Some helmets' chinstraps are fastened to two domes --- one on either side of the helmet, roughly around the ear hole. Four-point chinstraps are fastened in four points --- beside each ear hole and also above each eyebrow of the player. This style of chinstrap keeps the helmet more securely fastened to the player's head during impact.

    • 3

      Install a visor onto the helmet. Plexiglas visors are built to fit into the hole directly over the eye area in the football helmet's face mask. Visors can be purchased clear or tinted and are designed to protect a player's eyes from injury.

    • 4

      Change the face-mask style of the helmet. Typically, players at each position wear different styles of face masks. Quarterbacks, for example, often wear a small, two-bar mask to allow them to clearly see the field of play. Linemen, who experience violent collisions on each play, wear masks with more bars to provide more protection. Depending on your position, you may wish to buy a replacement mask with more bars for greater safety.